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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · lash · row · march · pass · wind · branch · chest

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. sharp — clever
  4. chest — of your body
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. chest — a box
  7. row — to paddle
  8. march — music
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. row — a line
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pass — a permit
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. chest — of your body
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wind — moving air
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com